The Committee on Cooperative Research (CCR) is a thematic committee of the International Cooperative Alliance. It is a bridge between academic research and the cooperative world.
The CCR began its work in 1957 as the Research Officers Group. In the 1970s the group changed its name to the ICA Research, Planning and Development Group reflecting its widening scope of activities and aspirations and efforts to provide practical input to cooperatives' economic and social concerns. The Committee today functions as a network open to all those interested in sharing research on the cooperative model of enterprise.
Our objectives
The CCR aims to strengthen research activities and increase the visibility of cooperative research and researchers. The committee is particularly interested in ensuring that coop directors, managers and employees have access to the latest research so that the results can be applied to current cooperative issues. For example, questions concerning social audit, cooperative principles, innovation, cooperative identity, globalisation and the local dimensions of cooperatives, promoting the cooperative advantage and the emergence of new wave cooperatives have all been studied from both a practical and theoretical stance.
Our activities
One of the main activities of the CCR is the organisation of research conferences at the global and regional levels, including the biennial Global Research Conference. The papers of the international conference are published in special issues of the Review of International Cooperation and via other research information sources. The committee also makes an effort to promote cooperative research through various communications vehicles, including this website.
